


Lobster

by cowboykylux



Series: Zanna's Huxloliday 2017 Fics [2]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Huxlolidays, M/M, Shore Leave Gone Wrong, Space Aloe Vera, Sunburn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-03
Updated: 2017-07-03
Packaged: 2018-11-22 21:55:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11389194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cowboykylux/pseuds/cowboykylux
Summary: With Kylo gone until further notice on a mission, Phasma decides the best way for Hux to relax is a weekend away. Hux agrees, and instantly regrets it.Or,Hux gets a sunburn for the first time.





	Lobster

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the second prompt of Huxlolidays, "Did you put some sunscreen on?"   
> I didn't have to think too hard on what to write for this, as this exact situation happened to me a month ago! (Always make sure to reapply folks, learn from my mistakes).

As General of the First Order, and Co-Commander of the _Finalizer,_ Hux had many perks. One of which was the notion that he could drop everything and go on holiday whenever he wanted. He never did this of course, as there were drills to oversee, reports to be checked, and a mile long list of tasks that needed completion, but still; it was nice to know he had the option. It was times like these that reminded Hux why he never took the offered vacation.

It had been a surprise to everyone when he held a meeting with his team to give them time to prepare for his absence exactly three cycles ago. Phasma had initiated the idea; Kylo had been sent off to some faraway planet for a mission and…well Hux wasn’t doing too well with him gone. He hadn’t been sleeping, hadn’t been eating, and overall was snappish and even more irritable than usual. She had suggested a short vacation of shore leave, just two cycles at the end of the week to hand all his stress over and just, how did she put it, _lay the fuck out by the water._

The first day of his leave had been nerve-wrackingly difficult; he kept checking his comm for any news about Kylo’s return, the panic of _what if he arrived just as I left, what if he’s sitting in the medbay waiting for me?_ making the gorgeous seaside views of this Imperial moon not nearly as comforting as Phasma had probably hoped for him.

The second day, however, had found Hux a little more relaxed. He was woken up early by the front desk to let him know it was time for his spa appointment, which Hux hadn’t known he even had. After an hour of massage, he felt infinitely better. He had made a mental note for Kylo to give him massages when they were both back on the ship.

From there, he had gone to spread a First Order regulation towel onto a vibrantly colored lounge chair, and began the process of lathering on the sunscreen. Hux was an intelligent man, and as such, worked it so that his career was mostly spent indoors. He certainly went outside from time to time – giving speeches, inspecting planets for the home of his super weapon, etc. – but that time was limited, mostly spent in tundra environments, and he was always fully clothed. He had packed multiple bottles of high sun protection factor lotion, knowing full well the consequences of hours without some sort of barrier on his skin.

Walking around with his arms, chest, and legs exposed had been a strange feeling at first, but he slowly relaxed, the sound of the gentle waves calming him.

Looking back, Hux decided that this was where it had all gone to shit.

He had let his guard down, and only reapplied the sunscreen three more times, when he really should have applied it four more times throughout the day. He had inspected the color of his skin, it was only a little pink, nothing too concerning, and had forgone the final reapplication. How foolish.

Hux didn’t realize how burnt he was until he stepped back onto the cool and refreshing floors of the _Finalizer._ It had been warm on the moon, and he thought that his body had acclimated, with skin that was warm to the touch. He didn’t think for one minute to inspect himself in the mirror before departure, too eager to get back home before his partner did.

No one mentioned how the skin on his nose was peeling, or the way the red smudges across his cheeks made him look perpetually flushed. Hux himself didn’t say anything about the way his shoulders itched against the rough material of his uniform shirt, or how the back of his thighs had stung when he peeled the fabric of his trousers away from them.

He left to find Phasma, when he caught sight of himself in the reflection of the _Finalizer's_  polished walls. He was positively devastated at what he saw, he had never been sunburned like this before! The worst thing that had ever happened was his nose had gotten pink once when he was a cadet doing a survival drill in the forest; this was unimaginable. He could clearly see the outline of the sunglasses he had been wearing in the still pale skin around his eyes and bridge of his nose, even where the arms of the glasses rested against the side of his face. Beneath his collar he found bright and angry red skin, his shoulders being rubbed raw from his shirt.

And his _freckles._ Oh stars, his freckles. He had never particularly liked them before, but he had always gotten by with the knowledge that they were faint for the most part. Now they stood out like a sore thumb, dark spots across his face and arms. It was like they soaked up the sun itself, wanting to be seen.

“General! How was – ” Phasma greeted, immediately cutting herself off when she saw the state he was in. “Holy shit, Hux.” She sucked in a breath, cringing.

“Hello Captain. Despite my current condition, I must thank you for the spa treatment. I wouldn’t have thought to book an appointment, and it certainly helped.” He was in no mood to discuss his failure to protect his own skin, not right that moment at least. Maybe in a few days when it went away they could find this funny (fearsome General of the First Order burned to a crisp), but for now, he was too annoyed to be anything other than exceedingly formal about the entire ordeal.

“I’m glad.” Phasma sounded like she was smiling, but he had no real way of knowing due to her helmet. “Hux, maybe you should go to medbay.” She moved to put a hand on his shoulder, but then thought better of it.

“I will be returning to my quarters as soon as I finish my rounds. Now if that’s all – ” Hux had to grit his teeth in pain as Lieutenant Mitaka came barreling down the hallway, not stopping soon enough, and accidentally knocking into Hux. His entire torso screamed in agony.

“General! Captain! I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to – ” Mitaka looked like he feared for his life, and Hux was nearly about ready to give him reason for it.

“Yes, what is it?” Phasma interrupted, her tone patient.

“Lord Ren’s shuttle has landed, he has returned from his mission.” Mitaka squeaked, before saluting and running off again.

“What perfect timing.” Hux muttered. He was glad to have gotten back on the ship before Kylo, but he had been hoping to have a few moments alone to figure out what to do about his sunburn. He didn’t like Kylo seeing him weak. In their five years of knowing one another, there had only been two instances where Hux had dropped the ball in keeping himself healthy. He wasn’t looking forward to the mocking smiles or teasing jokes that his sunburn would bring.

In the docking bay, Kylo wasted no time striding off his shuttle and making a bee line straight to Hux. Hux stood proud as he always did when he greeted his Knight; chin held high and hands clasped behind his back. His now burning, stinging back.

“Welcome back Lord Ren.” Hux gave a formal nod of his head, and Kylo returned the gesture.

“I’m glad to be home. The mission was a success.” Kylo replied, and Hux’s heart swelled. It had been weeks since he had heard that voice, and he was looking forward to hearing it without the vocoder obstructing its beautiful baritone.

“I look forward to the full report.” He smiled, his cheeks stinging at the slight pull. Kylo nodded, and the two walked side by side out of the bay, not giving a care to any of the officers that watched them.

 

As soon as they stepped through the threshold of their shared quarters, Kylo was on him. He took off his helmet and his outer robe, draping it over the desk chair as Hux liked. They both kicked off their boots, and then Kylo’s cold hands were gently unbuttoning Hux’s uniform jacket, pulling his tunic and trousers off, leaving him in just his tank top, briefs, and socks. Hux braced himself for laughter.

“Did you put sunscreen on?” Kylo asked gently, no malice in his voice. He began removing his own layers, until he was only in his boxers.

“Of course I did.” He huffed, staring down at his now exposed arms. The sunburn had developed while his limbs were hidden away under the black of his clothing. It was a much deeper red than the pink he remembered from that morning. “Just not enough.”

“Come here.” Kylo turned the shower on, using real water instead of the sonic. Hux rolled his eyes, it was the middle of the work cycle, hardly time to wash, or have sex, whatever he was planning.

“No, Kylo I don’t think – ” Hux began, but the look on Kylo’s face made him stop.

“Trust me?” Kylo asked, dropping his boxers and stepping under the spray.  

Afraid for his skin, Hux hesitated for a very long moment before he shucked the rest of his clothing and put one foot in. He yelped, the water was _freezing!_

“Kylo! I am not getting in there with you.” He crossed his arms, wincing.

“Hux you’re not the only one in the galaxy who has ever had a sunburn. This will help, I promise.” Kylo pleaded, holding a hand out.

Hux groaned, and eventually had to count to three before entering the shower, letting out a whine as the water hit. After the initial shock, it actually started to feel nice. It was like the cold water was drawing the heat from his abused skin, cooling him down to the bone. He had forgotten what it felt like to not have the ever-present feel of heat on his body. Who knew one day in the sun could cause this much anguish?

“Stop being dramatic.” Kylo smiled, reading Hux’s mind and gently kissing him on the lips; it was the only part of Hux that Kylo knew he wouldn’t get smacked from accidentally hurting his burn. Hux sighed into the kiss, not paying attention as Kylo reached around him and grabbed a bottle of gel.

He pulled back immediately as Kylo spread the gel onto his skin, eyeing it suspiciously.

“Relax, it’s aloe.” Kylo grinned, handing the bottle to Hux to let him read the label. “It’s found on most tropical planets, people use it for this exact reason.”

“You can continue.” Hux sniffed, really enjoying the feeling of the aloe soaking into his skin. The more he thought about it, the happier he was that Kylo showed up right after he did. He didn’t know he and Kylo even _owned_ aloe, they lived on a star destroyer for kriff sake.

“When we get out of the shower, I’ll rub lotion onto your skin too.” Kylo said, mostly to himself.

“How do you know so much about this?” Hux asked, playfully elbowing Kylo in the stomach and watching his lover scrub the weeks of dirt and grime from the mission off his skin and hair.

“Training.” Came the simple reply, his eyes closed so they wouldn’t sting from the shampoo he was lathering into his locks.

“I’m sorry for your suffering, but I’m glad one of us knows how to deal with this.” Hux didn’t know what sort of training required Kylo to have extensive knowledge on treating second degree burns, but he wasn't sure he would like it.

“Next time you’ll just have to bring me along.” Kylo could sense Hux’s mood darkening, and was having none of it. It worked, Hux was laughing.

“Next time! This ship will be lucky if I leave again in the next year!” He shook his head, stepping out of the shower and into a towel that was floating next to the door by way of the force.

“Drama queen.” Kylo chuckled, but Hux didn’t care, he carefully dried himself off and laid down in their bed. The sheets were perfectly cold.

“You know, while I was at the resort, I was given the most wonderful massage, do you think you could put those hands of yours to work?” He called, relaxing on his stomach, letting the cool air hit his back.

Kylo shut the water off, and watched Kylo emerge like some sculpted God with his towel slung low on his hips. There were bruises and gashes he had slapped a bacta patch over that Hux knew he would need to get stitched up for, and he toyed with the idea of sending Kylo away immediately to go see them fixed. The thought of making his lover leave so soon after he had been without him churned in his stomach, so when Kylo patted the space next to him on the bed, Hux rolled over with a smile.

“I missed you.” Kylo’s voice was soft, he carded his fingers through Hux’s hair.

“I missed you too. It was a success, you said?” Hux let his eyes close, enjoying Kylo’s presence.

“Yes, I got what Snoke wanted.” Kylo began spreading lotion all over Hux’s skin.

“Good. Don’t leave again.” His voice broke, remembering all the sleepless nights.

“I won’t.” Kylo leaned down to kiss his General. “As long as you promise not to fry yourself in the sun again.” He teased, making Hux glare.

“Shut up.” He rolled his eyes.

“You know your hair looks extra vibrant with your skin like this.” Kylo grinned, running his fingers through it, making it stick up in all directions because it was still wet.

Hux silenced him with a kiss. Kylo was home, and he learned a valuable lesson in SPF. In the end, he knew he could manage anything with his lover by his side.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! If you'd like to come chat with me about anything, you can find me on tumblr @babbushka ! xxx


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